Natalie Gelman is special on many levels. First of all, she sings better than almost everybody else. She’s not just a musician, but a working musician as well as a touring musician, and as with most artists (it’s in the fine print) she has cats. She also moved Out Here from Back There — a rare New Yorker who did not bring her accent, but likely, her attitude. She will bring a bunch of original songs to an ever-affordable free show April 1 at the Majestic Oak Winery in Ojai.

Gelman got to this point in her career in the usual manner — talent and hard work. As a tough New York chick — she challenged herself time and again by busking — that’s street performing. In New York City. That’s one way to find out damn quick whether or not you’re in the right line of work.

An outside gig with great sound lazing on a Sunday afternoon in Ojai hardly seems comparable to the thrills and chills of winning over drunken baseball fans staggering home from dollar beer and bat night. This one will be easier and fun. Gelman discussed the latest during a recent phoner.

Hello, is this Bill?

It is. Hey, Natalie, now’s a good time?

Sure.

So what’s the latest in your world? How’s the music biz treating you?

The music biz is treating me well. I’ve been getting this record done that I’ve been working on for years. I’m off the road because it’s still kind of winter, but I’ll be heading out this summer — so, yeah, the music biz is good.

Tell me about your musical adventures in the 805. Have you played everywhere or almost everywhere?

Well, there’s still a lot of places for me to play, and there’s still a lot of places that I’d love to play. I’ve been here for about seven years, but I play mostly in Ojai. We’re just so lucky that there’s so many venues and so much great local talent. People think, "Oh, so you don’t live in Los Angeles, and I feel bad for you," but actually, it’s so much easier up here. If you lived in Los Angeles, it would be harder to get to the shows you want to see — drive across town and find parking…

And hope you don’t get towed. …

Yeah, and up here, there’s a good local community that’s willing to sit in at your shows and interested in learning each other’s songs – and L.A. has that, too – but I feel really fortunate that I get to live in a small town that is a really great artistic community, and this show at the Majestic Oak will be outside in a little shaded area – a really cool vibe.

So where’s your area code, the 917?

So I’m originally from New York City — born and raised — but, yeah, I kept the area code from the old place because you never know who’s going to try to reach out.

Since both your parents were musicians, was there much of a chance that you’d end up other than you are?

When I was little, I wanted to be a vet because I love animals. That’s probably what drew me to live away from a city and having animals around and land. I love nature.

Can you have a cat?

I have two cats.

Wow, really? OK, but since you’re gone a lot, who takes care of your furry kids?

Well, I have a husband, too — so I have a husband and cats. We’re lucky. We live farm adjacent, so we get to experience the benefits of chickens, goats, cows and pigs and stuff. We don’t have to take care of them ourselves, but we get to enjoy them.

I’ve talked to so many musicians, and about 95 percent of them say they that want a cat but can’t have one because they’re always gone, so you’re lucky to have pets and a pet sitter.

It’s horrible, yeah, but because I get to talk to the husband when I’m on the road, I almost miss the cats more when I’m traveling, you know?

So what was your big break or have you had it yet?

I have not had a big break but life for me is considered a success because I am able to make a living as a full-time artist even though I don’t necessarily define success like that, but I would definitely like to be more successful. That’s where I am — trying to reach new fans with my music … for myself and for them — those who gain strength from hearing the songs and stories that I have to share. But I have had a series of small breaks – just last January, I won a really big contest online and part of that is I get to open for Wyclef and sing some songs with him. And then last year, I had the opportunity to open for Bon Jovi from another contest that I won, and I got to sing in front of 19,000 people.

Yeah, so it seems like I’m always catching little breaks with my music. Part of the reason I came out to California is that I signed a production deal — and that was a break, in that someone believed in my music and wanted to help me. I’d been here before. My sister lives in Highland Park. So she moved cross country, and I would visit her and street perform in Hollywood and Santa Monica but I never thought I would live here. As a New Yorker, it’s really hard for me to sit in my car on the 405 and not want to scream.

So in New York, people don’t drive, right?

Exactly. I love California but L.A. is just really hard for me. I get stressed out when I go down there, and I never connected with that city, but when I came to California, I came to L.A. to work on a record down there, but I had met my husband in Utah when I was street performing at the Sundance Film Festival. We started talking and long story short, we reconnected when I moved cross country and I ended up coming up to Ojai because my ex-half step brother owned a restaurant here, so I came up to bail him out of a last-minute cancellation and ended up coming to Ojai a lot and then moving here and now, it’s home.

So what did you learn busking? I would assume that’s an instant education …?

You know, it still requires bravery. I’ve done it now for half my life. It started as kind of a necessity because when I was growing up in New York City, there weren’t really any venues I could play at my age. I had a fake ID and I’d use it to play open mics in the East Village and the West Village, but eventually, people caught onto the fact that I wasn’t really old enough to be hanging out at CBGBs (music club) or wherever I was, you know? So I started street performing because I was underage and my friends were underage and nobody was coming to my shows. That’s really where I cut my teeth – how to work an audience and feel comfortable, talking to people and being really comfortable with almost anything that could happen on stage or in a performing environment…

And you’re going to find out damn quick whether you can do this or not. …

Yeah, exactly, and especially if you’re street performing in New York... People will not pay attention to you unless you’re at your absolute best. There’s some way that they can just tell…if something’s not amazing.

You actually went to school to study music?

I did. I studied opera in college.

What’d you learn?

I learned to take care of myself. A lot of people don’t think that being a singer involves one of the hardest instruments that’s changing through your life and your voice is absolutely reflective of what you are going through physically and emotionally. People think if you’re a singer, you’re not a real musician. Sometimes people will say, "Oh, you have a God-given voice," and I think it’s great that people like my singing, but, "Wait a minute. This is something I studied and practiced every day for dozens of years to get better." Not everyone can be a good singer and not everyone can be a great singer. I’m not even sure if I’m a great singer, but it’s a muscle and you’re an athlete — a musician slash athlete — and that’s what I learned studying opera.

I also studied in high school at High School for Performing Arts in New York City, which is the high school the movie "Fame" was based on, and that was just a wonderful experience. I think a lot of kids that are artistic and creative are sort of ostracized by their peers, and I definitely was and when I finally got to high school where I had creative musical peers who had this special thing that they did, I really sort of came into my own and had friends and just a great experience at my high school, making music with other musicians.

Otherwise, kids are mean.

Yeah, I came out of a super mean junior high school experience where it was just horrible; and once you realize that, you just seek out those that match your crazy. And maybe we weren’t crazy – we were just doing our own thing.

What’s the strangest gig you’ve ever played?

I’ve had so many weird ones. …

But you can handle it now. …

Yeah, I can handle anything. There was a strange one at Sundance, for example, where there’s celebrities at these different company-created lounges created for them to escape, and there’s music. It’s a strange environment and we’re all hoping to get something out of it. I’m hoping someone hears my music and says, "I want to share this with all of my fans," or maybe it’s a musician and they’ll say, "Hey, you should open for me," because there’s musicians that go to Sundance.

Or, "I want your song in my movie. …"

Yeah, you just have to totally put yourself out there. I’ve had some weird opening gigs but street performing is always weird because you have absolutely zero control over it, so the environments where I street perform are places where I have a captive audience that are waiting for a train on the platform or they’re waiting for the Staten Island Ferry. So what will happen sometimes is you’ll win people over and you’ll have 20, 50 or 500 people if you’re playing at the Staten Island Ferry. They’ll be listening to you and clapping along to the songs or sometimes I’ll get people singing along or people will start dancing, and it’s a really beautiful experience. But then those people will get on the subway or get on the ferry, and you’ll start all over again.

A brand new audience that didn’t pay to get in. …

A brand new audience…and it’s something I still do because you never know who’s going to hear you down there.

So how do you handle all the groupies that want to sweep you away from all this glamour and elope to Burger King?

Well, I’m a vegetarian, so that’s one reason to get out of that; and I’ve been really lucky. A lot of my fans are very respectful and a lot of them have become friends, and I’m kind of a tough cookie and I don’t have a problem drawing the line and saying whatever needs to be said. Although people can become connected to you through your songs, but you have to preserve yourself a little bit, otherwise it can become too…exhausting.

So you can totally handle the "Freebird" drunk?

Yeah, that’s the worst, the "Freebird" drunk. I should make T-shirts that say: If you’re going to request "Freebird," you have to wear this T-shirt and also pay me 50 bucks.

A friend of mine, Brian from the Preachers, used to charge 100 bucks for "Freebird" and also "Mustang Sally."

Even better. So where do songs come from? Is it a gift or is it a skill that can be learned?

I think songs themselves – at least the initial inspiration – that’s a gift. For me, I’ve always had this weird, three-day window thing where I try to force myself to finish a song I started writing within three days. A lot of the songs are from the emotional parts of my life – the things where I’m just so sad or when I have a lot of big feelings about something that I’ll start thinking in a way that’s more poetic and lyrical. And then for me, lyrics and melody always come together so that’s never been an issue.

There is a lot that can be taught, and if you want to have a certain rhyme scheme or if you want your song to fit into the current pop box – we’ve got rules for certain things. Also, writing with other songwriters helps you realize your own strengths and weaknesses and you learn how someone else does it. Lately, I’ve been lucky because I’ve been able to write with Charlie Midnight, a hit songwriter who has written for Barbra Streisand, Cher, Hillary Duff, and he and I write together, and he produced my last two records.

So when can we expect a new album then?

Probably the summer of this year but I’m not 100 percent sure yet. We’ll see. But yeah – he’s just a phenomenal songwriter and lyricist – and working with someone better than you, makes you step up your own game plus you’re constantly learning different tricks and tools and stuff. So it’s a mixture of creativity, workmanship and woodshedding.

One more easy one: Why do you have to do this?

Growing up, like many artists I think, I had a complicated life, so I have a lot to say about a lot of stuff I’m trying to feel normal about. Like many artists, you grow up and feel inadequate. That’s what pushes me to get in front of a bunch of people and have them applaud you and tell you you’re OK. I do really feel this is my calling and I feel responsible for sharing my gift of singing and songwriting; and I think more so than many artists, I’m a very passionate performer and a passionate singer and I commit 100 percent to the songs and it’s not really about me. It’s really about the story and the songs, and I think that is a unique experience that people sense that there’s this honesty and vulnerability in my shows.

So they’ll be crying in their wine at this gig then?

Totally. No, there’s a lot of laughter in there, so it’s a balance. For part of my show, I’m shamelessly self-deprecating, telling silly stories about whatever’s going on in my life, so a lot of people are laughing throughout the show, but I do try to allow people to run through all of their emotions…if they want to. We need to celebrate life, too.

Is this gonna be a girl and a guitar gig or do you have a band?

A girl and a guitar, but I do have people sit in with me from time to time. Nathan McEuen sits in with me a lot. He and I tour together quite a bit. So you never know. So you can say Natalie Gelman and special guests.

OK, that should be more than I need to know. Thanks for being where you were supposed to be at the appointed hour. Pet the cats for me.